Guo Zhongxiao, who became famous after he published an article entitled "Shenzhen, who has dumped you?" on the Internet, was invited to a meeting with State Council experts last week, reports Southern Metropolis News.

An "investigation and study" group from the State Council arrived in Shenzhen on July 29 to collect opinions on the city's new development strategy. They will return to Beijing by the weekend, the newspaper quoted sources as saying.

Also invited was the author of another influential web article, "Has the Pearl Delta lost its competitiveness?", who was identified by his onscreen name of "Jin Xinyi".

The newspaper said the State Council experts had requested their presence at a talk with non-governmental figures on July 30. An official introduced Guo by saying, "This is the 'I am crazy for her' (Guo's onscreen name) you wanted to meet."

Guo's article stirred much discussion when it appeared on web forums late last year, prompting then-Shenzhen mayor Yu Youjun to request a face-to-face meeting in February.

The public was surprised to learn that a 28-year-old with a bachelor's degree from Wuhan University wrote the in-depth analytical piece.

He lost his job as an analyst for a stock firm soon afterwards, but Guo declined to link the dismissal to his unexpected fame.

He was hired as a strategy researcher last month and is happy with his current job, Guo said.

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